FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Anthony Puglisi
May 6, 2008 973-621-2542
Lauren Shears
973-621-1590
ESSEX COUNTY EXECUTIVE WELCOMES STUDENT ARTISTS
TO ESSEX COUNTY’S HALL OF RECORDS
County Partners with Art Educators of New Jersey to Highlight
the Creative Talents of Essex County’s Students
Newark, NJ – Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr. welcomed almost 100 students from throughout Essex County to the Essex County Hall of Records for the Art Educators of New Jersey student art exhibit on Tuesday, May 6th. This is the fourth consecutive year DiVincenzo has partnered with the Art Educators of New Jersey to present the student artists exhibit.
During the months of March and April, the first floor lobby of the Hall of Records was transformed into a student art gallery. Employees and visitors to the County building were treated to the colorful and lifelike portraits, paintings and drawings.
“Essex County has some very creative and talented student artists at all age levels from elementary to high school. The original artwork that is included in our exhibit is truly inspiring,” DiVincenzo said. “I am proud to partner with the Art Educators of New Jersey for the fourth consecutive year to present this beautiful exhibit. This is an opportunity to promote our students’ positive achievements and enables the general public to see the talent in our schools,” he added.
“This has been a wonderful showcase for our students’ talent for the past four years,” said Lonnie Alston, an Art Teacher at Mount Vernon School in Newark and the organizer of the Student Art Exhibit with the Art Educators of New Jersey. “We are very proud of our students and we look forward to this event every year,” she added.
During the program, the New Jersey Art Educators presented DiVincenzo with the “John J. Pappas Recognition Award” for dedication to the visual arts in New Jersey.
“It has become the tradition of Essex County to bring people together and celebrate our diversity,” said Senator Teresa Ruiz, referring to the year-long cultural heritage series hosted by the County Executive. “The talent that has been on display is amazing. You are making a huge impression on the people who come to the Hall of Records,” she added.
“I have been excited to come to this lobby and view the artwork by our students. I encourage you to cultivate your interest in art because you never know where your talent will take you,” Assemblywoman Sheila Oliver said.
“This is just a marvelous display of talent in our schools and a wonderful opportunity to highlight the positive accomplishments of our students,” Freeholder Patricia Sebold said. “Our County Executive has dedicated his life to creating better opportunities for our children and he loves promoting the work you are doing,” she added.
This year’s show featured original works of art created by 96 students who range in age from elementary school to high school level. The students came from 20 different Essex County schools. The students whose drawings and paintings were featured in the exhibit are:
· 13th Avenue School, Newark: Jerry Evans, Luis Arocho, and TiaDora Nelson
· 18th Avenue School, Newark: Stephen Moses, Hadeiya Walker, Khadijah Owens and Khadijah Super
· Abington Avenue School, Newark: Brianna Jones, Adreanna Barrios, and Chelsea Gallegos
· American History High School, Newark: Daniel Abotchie and Michaelangelo Rivera
· Ann Street School, Newark: Claudia Sa, Mariana Reyes, Guadalupe Oliva, Juan Lopez, Kayla Ribeiro, and Jacklyn Gonzalez
· Arts High School, Newark: Garrell Middleton
· Barringer High School, Newark: Omar Nunez, Jesus Rosario, Adriel Gonzalez, Kay Nunez, and Jay Sepulveda
· Branch Brook School, Newark: Harry Regalado, Tajia Rodriquez, Ariel Tapia, and Diana Tenecela
· Clinton Elementary School, Maplewood: Bianca Alcindoz, Christopher Trzaska, Hala Ibrahim, Mary Arevalo, Delila Ricci, and Nitasha Garg
· Dr. William Horton School, Newark: Michael Tyson, Lissbelle Abrew, Jendy Vanheyningen, Alonso Hernandez, Hayden Ulloa, Joel Rosa, and Sergio Colon
· Essex County Vo-Tech Schools – Bloomfield Tech, Bloomfield: Katherine Evette Willis, Rosemarie Berrios, Jade Leach, and Breysky Reynolds
· Glenview Academy, Fairfield: Janeya Gray and Nadir Williams
· Glenwood Elementary School, Short Hills: Derek Huang, Amanda Howe and Shea Smith
· Gramon School, Fairfield: Frenchell Lockhart, David Alvarado, Eric Goller and Krystyna Burgos
· Lincoln Avenue Elementary School, Orange: Agnes Gboyah, Huyen Thai, Brisa Monteverde, Aminah Keith, Shaneya Hankerson, Maryann Okoye, Caleb Etienne, Carlos Lopez, and Marisol Tamayo
· Lincoln School, Newark: Roner Jean, Myrhtheldjyne Estiverne, and Lamar Townes
· Mount Vernon School, Newark: Iman Khan, Rebeka Bodis, Pavel Malov, Shanna-ree Jeudy, Marvin Hendy, Essence Cooper, Alero Omatseye, Muiz Yuseff, Gabrielle Greene, Je’Lisa Bennett, and Taylor Daniels
· Robert Treat Academy, Newark: William Rebolledo, Jack Henry Fox, Christopher Cordona, and Joseph Nieves
· South Mountain School, Millburn: Julia Portnoff, Emma Quang, Avital Greenberg, George Garber, Peyton Teque, Audrey Wong, Lauren Alexander, and Jordan Shifman
· The Children's Institute, Verona: Anthony Wilson, Thomas Fierro, and Alex Lock
· Wilson Avenue School, Newark: Karina Guerra, Christopher Andrade, Miquel Garcia, Kenza Bovanane, Tatiana Cardenas, Sabrina Salam, Joao Silva, and Dani Chimborazo
The Student Art Exhibit is part of the County Executive’s initiative to recognize accomplishments by Essex County students. The Executive also has hosted recognition ceremonies for the top high school basketball and girls softball teams. High-achieving students from the Essex County Vocational-Technical School System are recognized each month during the Executive’s Teamwork Award Program.
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